


Goodbye to Subtlety

by Styfas



Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Flirting, M/M, Mentions of other / couples on the ships, Soon-To-Be-Relationship: Harry D. S. Goodsir/Thomas Jopson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28621608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Styfas/pseuds/Styfas
Summary: Harry Goodsir considers a dilemma regarding his ridiculously too-long crush on Thomas Jopson, has an opportunity to solve it, and makes the decision to do so.Terror Bingo:  Does that really work with anyone?
Relationships: Harry D. S. Goodsir & Thomas Jopson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5
Collections: The Terror Bingo





	Goodbye to Subtlety

**Author's Note:**

> When I got my nine square Bingo card, ideas came to me relatively quickly for eight of them. This one stumped me the most - for about ten days - until I thought of this. (When in doubt, I think Jopsir.) Harry Goodsir and Thomas Jopson: Yes, I ship them. Fight me. 🤣
> 
> Thanks, as always, to [Drac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drac), who introduced me to The Terror in the first place, and who are the second to read my fics (after me) in a "filtering" but not-beta-reader way. 
> 
> Disclaimers: I do/don't know any of the real-life people in this fic. RIP to all. 💔 I do not own any of the characters as depicted in AMC The Terror; those belong to AMC, writers, producers, directors, actors, and anyone else who had anything to do with the series.
> 
> This is fiction, and I am not making any money from this.

One year is far too long to be pining for someone – and Harry Goodsir knows it.

It’s been one full year that he’s been pining for Thomas Jopson. Twelve months since that blissful day when Thomas came into the same watercolour class that Harry had been attending for a month. Fifty-two weeks since Harry felt he might faint when Thomas looked at him with those stunning blue eyes and greeted him with that gorgeous smile. 

It’s been six months since Thomas first sat (next to him, no less!) at the same table for class. They’ve continued to occupy that table together ever since, sitting side by side. Exactly twenty-six weeks’ classes of sharing the same watercolour box, trading compliments on painting skills, learning about each other’s backgrounds, sharing secrets, stories and rumours (including those of the sexual variety; hint, hint, Thomas!) from each other’s ships, comparing cooks’ menus, telling silly jokes, and laughing together.

Harry has been engaging in six months’ worth of what he considers subtle (for he would never do anything _blatant!_ ) flirting – yet neither one of them has made an assertion of anything beyond having a simple watercolour-class friendship. Harry will occasionally reach to apply his wet brush to the same watercolour cake as Thomas (Blue Lake is always a favourite colour; Gamboge, not so much, but he’ll definitely go for it if _Thomas_ does) in order to “accidentally” graze _(touch!)_ his hand. Stretching his arms or shifting his weight is another of Harry’s tactics; employed for surreptitiously nudging his arm against Thomas’ arm, or (Oh, the thrill!) momentarily pressing his thigh against Thomas’ thigh. In a daring moment of feigned clumsiness, Harry once reached toward a watercolour cake, not-so-inadvertently bumping Thomas’ arm, not-so-intentionally dropping (“Sorry!”) his paintbrush, and then attempting to catch it as it rolled off the table, his hand lowering towards (Oh, yes…) Thomas’ lap. Once was enough for that approach, for as both men fumbled for the brush, hands colliding, both pairs of eyes looked downward, making Harry painfully aware of the sudden bulge in his own trousers, and that it could have possibly been spotted by Thomas. Neither man said anything, and they carried on, painting silently after Harry had reclaimed his brush. (No, that impromptu strategy was _not_ _blatant at all_. It really wasn’t. It wasn’t. Not much.)

All of his purposeful-but-trying-to-make-it-look-accidental touches must mean _something_ to the man. And if he’s not mistaken, Thomas has been flirting – similarly, in fact – right along with him. So why won’t Thomas say anything? 

Harry would like to think that his attempts (both good and poor) at subtlety will send the message, and that without his needing to succumb to making bold declarations or physical overtures, somehow Thomas will _understand_ how he feels about him, and then – _voil_ _à_ _!_ – with that understanding, Prince Thomas Charming will be the one to say or _do_ something, and then they’ll magically be a Happily-Ever-After couple. 

In Harry’s most romantic of romantic fantasies, that’s how it would work.

Of course that’s how it will work.

That’s how it’s _supposed_ to work.

Does that really work with anyone? 

From the stories he’s heard, it certainly didn’t work that way with Mr. Hickey and Mr. Gibson on Terror, nor with Mr. Gregory and Mr. Wall on Erebus, nor Mr. Hartnell and Mr. Best, nor Lieutenants Le Vesconte and Fairholme. Not even with Commander Fitzjames and Captain Crozier. There were no instances of multiple months of encounters and conversations, with one man waiting for the other to say or do something.What actually happened, if he can believe the particulars of the stories as he heard them, was that one in each pair simply decided to “do something.” And in most cases, that “something” was physical in nature.

Harry thinks it may have happened in a more romantic way with Mr. Peglar and Mr. Bridgens – but make no mistake: their relationship had already been established on HMS Gannet. 

History, however, has proven that Romantic Subtlety doesn’t seem to be the way of things on Terror or Erebus.

Very well. If Thomas won’t do anything, then Harry will.

Today Harry’s been informed by Dr. McDonald that Captain Crozier is ill, and that it’s related to the captain’s constant consumption of spirits. Harry had suspected this situation would arise eventually. Thomas had recently divulged in a secretive whisper during class that he was concerned about the captain’s drinking habits, and begged Harry to keep it to himself. Further, Harry had seen the evidence when he and Silna went for their interview with the captain the day she was brought back to Terror. It was obvious that the captain didn’t have his full faculties about him, and that the stench of whiskey was hanging on his breath. 

Given this new knowledge, Harry has an idea – and his opportunity. He won’t be entirely proud of himself for taking advantage of Captain Crozier’s being ill – but still, he’ll make the most of it. The captain might even laugh about it when he hears the full story in a few weeks.

Tonight, Harry will go to Terror. He’ll tell Thomas that he’s there to visit the captain. It won’t be an outright lie, because he truly does want to wish the captain well in his recovery. After his visit, he’ll somehow get Thomas alone.

He worries that he may falter and stammer if he tries to express himself in words, so he’ll need to go against his nature and finally do something _blatant_ to make his feelings known. Goodbye to Subtlety; he’ll grab hold of Thomas’ arms and then, unabashedly… _kiss him. On the mouth._

Harry will be keeping in tradition with how relationships have been formed on Erebus and Terror. In so doing, he’ll ensure that when their story is told in the future, it will include these words: _That’s how it really worked with Harry Goodsir and Thomas Jopson._

**Author's Note:**

> They are both cute and adorable - and thus, I happily ship them. 💗


End file.
